Fogo: Águabrava awaits response from ANAS on meeting to negotiate the issue of water for agriculture

The acting president of the General Assembly of Águabrava, Fábio Vieira, told Inforpress that following the deliberation of the last assembly held last August, the administrator/delegate began the negotiation process with ANAS requesting a meeting to analyze the tariff water for agriculture.

“The administrator/delegate requested a meeting with ANAS and we are awaiting feedback from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAA) and then in a meeting between Águabrava, ANAS and the Government, we can assess the most appropriate measures to take in relation to irrigation water management in the Fogo/Brava region”, said the president of the General Assembly of the intermunicipal company.

The problem of water management for agriculture in the Fogo/Brava Region was analyzed by the shareholders of the company Águabrava at the last general meeting and they came to the conclusion that irrigation water management is resulting in more costs than benefits for the company , taking into account that the cost of water production is estimated at 192 escudos/cubic meter and the price of water for irrigation is 62 escudos per cubic meter, less than a third of the production value.

The average annual financial burden borne by the company resulting from the supply of water for agriculture and livestock is in the order of 30 thousand contos, since 40 percent (%) of the water produced is destined for agriculture and livestock, which is sold to lower price.

Data from Águabrava shows that from 2018 to 2021 the volume of water for irrigation doubled, going from around 138 thousand cubic meters in 2018 to 370 thousand cubic meters in 2021 and that during this period the company stopped collecting 120 thousand tales, as a result of the supply of water for agriculture and livestock.

The list of requests for water connections for agriculture exceeds one hundred and a half and the company has long stopped making new connections for water supply for agriculture and has been forced to rationalize the supply of water to farmers, every other day and for a certain period of time as a way to avoid accumulating expenses with irrigation water.

Regarding the holding of a general meeting to elect new corporate bodies of the company, after the impasse that occurred at the last general meeting, Fábio Vieira said that he is working with the shareholders and the administrator/delegate to analyze the best moment to promote the meeting.

Initially scheduled for September, the assembly does not yet have a set date, but Fábio Vieira argues that the election of the new board of directors should be elected as soon as possible to create all the conditions for Águabrava to continue carrying out its mission of supplying water to all families in the Fogo/Brava Region.